Return of the Great Hyne
by Ken C. Hicken
Summary: Years after Ultimecia's defeat, the world gathers to commemorate its freedom. But, bent on revenge, others gather to make the world pay.


"Ladies and gentlemen! Today, in order to commemorate history, we here are poised to _make_ history." Esthar's newly elected President stood before a crowd of people, mostly members of the media. A small number of them- six, to be exact- had been specifically chosen for this event.

"Fifteen years ago, on this day, Ultimecia's rule was finally put to an end. Today, we celebrate the end of the Sorceress' Reign with the dedication of this new space station."

In the time since the evil sorceress' fall, international tensions had seemingly mounted overnight as nations asserted their newly regained sovereignty. Eron Kramer's reassuring, almost fatherly demeanor as an ambassador had helped to ease such tensions, and his political sense and humble attitude were enough to give him a landslide victory in the election. Being a direct descendant of Cid and Edea Kramer didn't hurt, either.

Eron Kramer was normally compared to his ancestor, Cid; most noted the similarities not just in appearance, but also in personality (or so it was speculated, as no one still living had personally known Cid Kramer). Like Cid, he also had a gift for befriending nearly everyone, something which almost all figures on the international stage were glad for.

Behind President Kramer, a Ragnarok-class ship awaited the small gathering's boarding. Once his speech was done, the forty or so guests- comprised of representatives of each of the world's nations, members of the media, and selected descendants of the heroes of the Sorceress' Reign War- would board and be the first official visitors to the internationally run orbital station.

These last were, perhaps, the biggest draw to the event: though only a few hundred had gathered on site, the entire world was tuned in to the live broadcast, eager to get a glimpse of those whose bloodline was legendary. Not only for the parts their ancestors had played in ending the Sorceress' Reign, but also for the achievements they had garnered through their own deeds.

Of the eight that had been asked to attend, six were present. Kohr Dane, an energetic young man from the town of Balamb, was perhaps the best known in the group. He had become the first male sorcerer, and had been instrumental in helping others return to a more positive role in society. Having only recently turned twenty, Kohr had done more for the world than most ever would in their lives. But he was also the first to admit that mankind still had a long way to go in order to recover from the damage Ultimecia had caused.

Kohr had been asked to help plan the commemoration event, and he'd readily accepted, and had decided upon which of the descendants should be invited to the ceremony in space. He was slightly disappointed that a few of the names he'd picked had declined the invitation, but Kohr didn't take it personally. Well, there was one sleight he _did_ take personally, but now wasn't the time for that.

As they prepared to board _The Ruby Dragon_, Kohr surveyed the faces around him. At six foot one, he was a good deal taller than most everyone else, and what he saw worried him.

There were no strangers; Kohr had met everyone before. In fact, he was probably the only one who knew everyone else by face; even the reporters could be hard pressed to know each other by more than name, with so many things going on all over the world.

But this wasn't what worried him.

As they entered the cabin area, everyone was in good spirits. Excited, even. But that was to be expected: a definitive mark in history was about to be made. Even if they never did anything else for the rest of their lives, they would be remembered for this moment.

This didn't bother him either.

While he buckled himself in, the very last to do so, Kohr's worries were that the people he chose- half of whom were younger than himself- had not been able to quell the immense sense of dread he felt surrounding this day.

Of course, it could have just had something to do with the fact that he'd be going into space. Though he'd done his fair share of flying around in airships, he had always been uncomfortable so high up; now he'd be leaving the planet behind altogether, and that made him very nervous. So much so that he'd barely been able to hold a conversation before the formalities got underway. When Danelle Landy- a descendent of Zell Dincht, and a friend of Kohr's since childhood- noticed his unease, she immediately brought up his aversion to flying and teased him about it. It made hiding the real source of his anxiousness easier, but he felt no less relieved.

But as the ship's massive engines rumbled to life, Kohr found that all he could do was hope that they didn't crash. Even as the rumbling faded to a slight tremble- the rougher vibration only being caused because _The Ruby Dragon_ was still on land- Kohr gripped his seat's armrests tightly and kept his eyes shut just as securely.

Though based on the _Ragnarok_ of more than a hundred years ago, _Ruby Dragon_ and its sisters were vastly more powerful, and could leave the atmosphere unassisted from virtually anywhere on the planet. So, even though they were nowhere near the Space Center in Esthar- being right outside the town of Balamb- _The Ruby Dragon_ had no problem shooting out of the atmosphere. Between the G forces that pinned him to his seat and the knowledge that the ground was getting further and further away, his lunch wasn't sure whether to come up or follow his stomach into his shoes.

As they left the planet's atmosphere, Kohr's anxiety was only heightened. The lack of gravity meant he was no longer pinned to his seat; instead, he despaired at not being able to effortless stick his feet to the metal floor beneath him. _In space,_ he thought, _there's nowhere to run._

"How're you holdin' up, Kohr?" Danelle called to him from three rows ahead. Around her, other conversations had started up, but she'd quickly lost interest in them.

"I kept my lunch down," he replied, realizing he sounded as miserable as he felt. Dunno how long that'll last, though."

Danelle giggled at that, then said, "If you can hold out for a few minutes, we'll be at the space station. It's got artificial gravity, so you won't have to worry about your stomach doing flips on ya."

"Yeah, well, I get the feeling it'll just do cartwheels instead of flips." Kohr smiled thinly, chuckling a bit. "Anyway, I'm hoping that-"

Kohr was cut off by President Kramer's voice of the ship's intercom system. "Alright, everyone. If you'll look straight ahead, in just a few moments, we should- ah! There it is! In about five minutes, we'll be landing there, at-"

This time, the President was cut off. An alarm sounded, and the previously excited atmosphere became extremely tense. Passengers gave out cries of surprise as _Ruby Dragon_ shifted back and forth, jostling and bucking as if it were a beast shaking something from its back.

"Look!" someone shouted, and everyone gazed out the viewing canopy at a sight that was impossible to miss: streaking towards, around, and past the ship, blazing red fireballs shot past; a few were close enough that Kohr could feel the heat they gave off.

In a matter of seconds, though, the ordeal was over, and Ruby Dragon had escaped unscathed, though its occupants were considerably shaken up. "A meteor shower," Kohr heard a fellow passenger murmur, and soon others took up that assumption.

Promptly, Eron Kramer's voice sounded over the intercom again. "Everyone, we seem to have just passed through an unexpected meteor shower. Fortunately, we have an excellent pilot who'll now be redirecting us… to…"

No one had to ask why the President's voice had suddenly begun to trail off; as the pilot adjusted their course, everyone onboard _The Ruby Dragon_ watched in silent, horrified awe as what looked to be a massive chunk of the moon collided with and then obliterated Station Lionheart.

_It was no meteor shower_, Kohr thought, as his eyes met Danelle's and saw they reflected the same fear he felt. Between the previously roiling motions of the ship and the realization that his fears had come to pass after all, his stomach decided it had had enough, and retched its contents. _That was a Meteor spell._


End file.
